


An Exhibit of Surprises

by AsaDelCesar



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Cup of China, Grand Prix Final, M/M, Post-Episode 12, Romantic Fluff, Rostelecom Cup, figure skating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-11 19:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9005341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsaDelCesar/pseuds/AsaDelCesar
Summary: “Stammi Vicino, Non Te Ne Andare” in three movements. Snapshots of how a surprising exhibition program came to be and a little more. A work of fan fiction especially dedicated to the skate otaku of the world.
***

  An earnest smile spread across his lips as the music swelled into its impassioned throes, as if Yuri held some kind of precious secret that gave him immense confidence. It wasn’t the look of someone about to open up for the first time. It was one of knowing that the message of the program-- the song and his movements-- would certainly reach who it was meant for.





	1. First Movement - Expressivo

“Let’s welcome, from Japan, silver medalist Yuri Katsuki!”

 

The announcer’s voice boomed over the arena in crisp, enunciated English after his Chinese spiel introducing him. Icy blue lights washed over the rink and all the audience had disappeared under a shroud of darkness. All attention was now on the young Japanese man taking his starting position at the center, his outfit sparkling under the spotlights fixed upon him. 

 

It was the last day of the Cup of China and everyone quietly anticipated what this twenty-three year old skater was about to present. He had risen up almost like a phoenix from the ashes, after his year of failure following a slump at the past year’s Grand Prix. Despite a less than stellar free skate, he had astonished everyone with his perfect short program and everyone knew that he was certainly a performer to watch for the season. Not to mention that he was under the guidance of a five time world champion.

 

Now, here he was, about to perform his exhibition program for the first time. Dressed in a blue outfit with a militaristic touch, a familiar sight to those who had watched his coach in the previous season, Yuri took a deep breath and moved forward with the music. Instantly, an astonished murmur drew up from the audience. The music, the movement… these were all from Victor’s last season.

 

Yuri’s body moved almost instantly with the music, knowing the choreography by heart. Of course, Victor had corrected him on a few points when they had begun rehearsing it; yet, he insisted that this must be his exhibition program-- the one that had caught his attention not too long ago and brought him to the younger skater’s side.

 

He was watching him, of course. In the darkness of the audience’s bleachers, he was quietly enjoying the show. Though the routine was his, he knew very well that Yuri had made it his own: not just by substituting some elements with those more comfortable for him, but also with his body’s expression and his innate musicality.

 

As he watched the routine being executed for the first time before a worldwide audience, Victor slowly began to realize that there was something incredibly poignant about Yuri’s interpretation. In his last season, Victor clearly remembered being absolutely focused on simply the execution of his skate-- racking up the points needed to top the scoreboard once again. Yuri, though lacking the same technical skill (he certainly would need to work on the quadruple flip he executed during his free skate later), made up for it with the beauty of his footwork and the expressiveness of his movement. The younger man’s glass heart was working its magic here, and Victor could see it in the movement of his arms, the deep breaths he took in time with the music, and the way he moved across the ice to punctuate the words.

 

From his vantage point, distanced from the rink, Victor felt as if Yuri was searching in his movements. There was a keen sense of loneliness in his actions. Though he knew that the music had called for it, there was something about Yuri’s execution that made it all the more salient. Rising from his flying sit spin, the moment of stillness on the ice felt heavy before Yuri moved his arms before him as if tearing away the darkness then transitioning into a spreadeagle. 

 

At that moment, Victor couldn’t help but smile-- Yuri was the most beautiful when it came to transitional elements such as those. His mastery of the basics certainly did shine in quiet moments, he had choreographed “Yuri on Ice” to take advantage of that. He navigated through the choreographic sequence with ease, every step executed in time with the music. Then, came the jumps: a triple salchow and soon after, a combination jump starting with a beautifully executed triple axel to punctuate the song’s climax. 

 

It was then that the Russian man had noticed something particularly different about the way his student moved. From the very moment the music swelled up, an expression like none other he had seen in practice lit up Yuri’s face. It was different too from the video he had seen online-- the practice that almost looked like some kind of confession to Yuko though at first glance it felt somehow similar. 

 

There was determination in Yuri’s eyes as he moved into another spreadeagle then an enthralling, difficult step sequence. An earnest smile spread across his lips as the music swelled into its impassioned throes, as if Yuri held some kind of precious secret that gave him immense confidence. It wasn’t the look of someone about to open up for the first time. It was one of knowing that the message of the program-- the song and his movements-- would certainly reach who it was meant for. 

 

With the light all focused on the rink, Victor was certain Yuri’s eyes wouldn’t find him and a particular step would never be directed towards him. Despite that, his breath caught in his chest after the triple flip as Yuri skated forward towards a camera at rinkside and moved his arms in the sweeping motions Victor knew well-- those gestures meant to invite one to stay and never leave. The moment was caught and projected onto to the large screens over the arena, making Victor’s heart swell up with warmth. 

 

With what had transpired the day before, prior to the free program performance, his student’s movements and the expression behind them felt all the more meaningful to him. Though he was not in front of him at that very moment, somehow the feeling got to him all the same. “Just stay by my side and never leave…” Victor mouthed the words said yesterday in Yuri’s distress. His gut clenched at the reminder of how helpless he felt in the face of Yuri’s anxiety, yet the way the younger man looked now-- his face full of love and so free of worry made warmth spread through his entire being. There was genuinely no doubt about it now, how smitten he was with his student. 

 

He took a deep breath as Yuri landed the last jump: a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe loop and right afterwards segueing into a combination spin. It wasn’t as beautiful as his step sequence but it was all the same a stunning end to a heartfelt performance. Without the pressure of judges, Victor felt as if the beauty of that particular program had really shown itself. And as soon as Yuri made his last pose and the crowd rose for a standing ovation (many of them in utter disbelief that this man had not only copied Victor so well but moved them to tears with how much more emotional and earnest his execution was), Victor rushed back down to the skaters’ area to find Yuri before the press could to greet him with a tight embrace.

 

“It was beautiful. Far more beautiful than it was in practice. Were you thinking of someone while you were on the ice?” As always, Victor’s voice was light and almost playful despite the emotions coursing through him.

  
“I thought you knew already,” came the reply as the younger man returned the embrace, squeezing his coach for a moment before the other skaters started to approach them. Now wasn’t the time for their private thoughts. Yet, the smile Victor gave as he let Yuri go to greet the other skaters was all he needed to see to know that his feelings came across on the ice.

***

 **Glossary:**

_Exhibition program_ \- all competitions are held in a span of several days. On the very last day, after the awards are given out, select skaters perform an exhibition where there are no judges and they can freely do whatever they want. Exhibition programs can be funny like Javier Fernandez’s Aerobics Class or soulful and show off the skater’s best skills like Yuzuru Hanyu’s Notte Stellata. Sometimes, retired skaters guest star at exhibitions. 

_Substituting elements_ \- Sometimes, skaters may change some of the actions in their choreography, like when Yuri changed the final quad toeloop in Yuri on Ice to a quad flip. In the case of this fic, because the choreography was adjusted to be relaxed and because Yuri has no judges to prove himself to, a number of the jumps such as the Salchow, flip, and Lutz were changed into triples rather than the original quads. 

If you dear readers need other terms explained, please feel free to leave a comment. :) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!


	2. Second Movement - Dissonance

The skate boot’s blade slid through the ice in a smooth motion, leaving a long, deep groove. Shifting his weight, Yuri moved from skating forward to backward, yet keeping his balance on a single foot. In the silence of Hasetsu Ice Castle in the early hours, Yuri felt at ease as he concentrated on the movements to create figures on the ice-- beautifully etched lines and perfect loops.

 

Though Victor certainly had praised him for his stamina and his ability to keep jumping even towards the end of a program, these figures he made were a source of personal pride. It was something most competitive skaters didn’t spend a lot of time doing as many saw them as a chore as opposed to practicing jumps and spins. It also took discipline and hard work to make such clean lines with a deep edge. The repetitive and deceptively simple movement helped put his anxious mind to rest, too. 

 

Putting his weight on the outside edge, he moved in a curve to complete a circle before turning again. He pushed himself forward again with a foot, keeping the movement minimal to refrain from creating unnecessary marks on the ice.

 

As he fell into the routine movements of his compulsory figures, Yuri thought about the other day-- the last day of the Rostelecom Cup. The officials at the event had actually invited him to present his exhibition despite finishing in fourth, as they were impressed by what they saw at the Cup of China. However, with Victor miles away and his confidence still in shambles from his botched free program, he had to turn them down at the last minute. He also chose to move his flight home to an earlier time. Telling Victor about it over the phone made him feel guilty; however, he had made his decision and absolutely couldn’t bring himself to do his exhibition piece or even attend the party held after the performances.

 

With a deep breath, Yuri moved from the small patch of ice he had drawn figures on to another fresh area to start a new design. Once again, he began the first figure on the ice, deciding to draw three lobes with loops on each end. Sunlight was slowly coming up on the horizon, gradually dyeing the ice in the colors of the dawn. Yuri thought of how warm he felt in Victor’s arms when he greeted him at the airport, and how happy he was when his coach hoped that he would never retire. Yuri couldn’t lie to himself-- he also wanted to be with Victor forever. 

 

Despite all that Victor did for him though, Yuri had always felt fear crawling over his shoulder and enveloping him in his darkest moments. He moved to make the first loop at the end of the third lobe, and took a deep breath again before turning and switching edges. It was hard to escape the fear that Victor could turn and leave him at any time, especially as skating was a big part of their relationship. Yuri’s performance was always reflective of Victor, and doing badly as he did during the last event made him feel intensely insecure. Despite making it to the Grand Prix final by a hair, Yuri felt as if Victor was sure to leave if he was to screw up again.

 

Before his thoughts could eat him up any further, he heard the doors open. He then slid to complete a lobe before stopping and turning to see who it was.

 

“Anxious?” Victor smiled at him from the doorway, with two warm cans of coffee from the vending machine occupying his hands. His eyes glanced over to the figures Yuri had left-- he had to admit that they were beautiful works of art in the golden light of the dawn. It was almost tempting to get his phone out and photograph them for Instagram. He thought better though and moved to the rink’s wall to offer a drink to the younger skater.

 

“Yeah… I am,” it felt odd for Yuri to admit to it-- his fears, the darkness gnawing at him. However, he had come to learn that Victor wasn’t the kind of man who’d look down on him for it. He knew that he always did his best to take a step forward to meet him where he was and nothing more. Despite how he would often tease and play, when it came to matters like these, he never did try to overstep his bounds. 

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t do well at all at the free program. Yakov lectured me the whole time at the Kiss and Cry.”

 

“That’s really how he is,” Victor offered a small smile and popped open the tab on his coffee. He took a moment to savor the warmth of the can and the aroma of the drink before having a sip. “And don’t worry about it. What matters is that you made it to the finals and we can rebuild. Let’s take them all by surprise.”

 

At his words, Yuri smiled, nodded, and moved to get off the ice and slip on his blade guards before relaxing with his coach at rinkside. For a while, they stayed silent beside each other, sipping their drinks and watching the ice sparkle under the spreading glow of the dawn. At some point, Victor actually did bring out his phone and took a photo of the figures on the ice.

 

“Would you mind it if I posted this online?” he smiled at the younger man, showing him the picture. He had to admit that with the filter applied upon it, it certainly was quite a sight. The contrast on the picture was turned up, so the deep, repeated grooves on the ice stood out neatly in white lines against the smooth frost dyed in amber hues.

 

“Go ahead,” came the quiet reply before he watched the Russian man tack on a hashtag and location on to the picture and nothing else before posting it.

 

“Hashtag, morning practice.”

 

Yuri definitely didn’t understand how Victor (or Phichit) enjoyed these hashtags. However, it was a pretty endearing quirk he had come to like as one of the many things that made Victor Nikiforov, his once idol, a lot more human than he had thought him to be.

 

After a few more moments of quiet, Victor began to move to the CD player. Seems like it was about time for them to get into their regular practice. Yuri straightened his body and set down his now empty can of coffee, anticipating what his coach was going to ask of him.

 

“Yuri, could you run through your exhibition program once for me? No pressure. I just want to see it.”

 

The skater flushed a little at the request. That program? Rather than the ones he should be building on in preparation for the Grand Prix finals? It felt like an odd request, but it seemed like something welcome after his breakdown in Moscow. Exhibition pieces were always more relaxed, after all. They were pieces done simply because the skater enjoyed them rather than for competition.

 

“Sure.”

 

With that said, he moved to remove his skate guards and got on to the ice. Once there, he skated over to where the program began and took his starting position. The music began to play.

 

Yuri felt a little strange performing this particular routine first thing in the morning where Victor would usually have him practice his jumps. But somehow, doing this felt liberating. As he took a breath between his position kneeling on the ice and getting up again, he began to shift his thoughts from executing actions to expressing emotion.

 

This song… this whole program was all built around the concept of wanting to hold on to someone. Yuri reflected upon it as he finished the first jumps in the program, a triple Lutz and a triple flip. 

 

No, that jump wasn’t enough. It wasn’t going to cut it to keep Victor by his side and make sure he never leaves. He needed to master the quadruple flip. He kicked off for the next jump, a triple Axel, but with his mind troubled, he lost focus and misaligned his body, slipping on the ice and falling during the landing. 

 

Victor meanwhile, watched with a little concern on his face. But he nodded for Yuri to keep going, choosing not to lecture him right away for that error. Gathering his bearings, Yuri got up immediately and continued, going right into the combination spin.

 

_ Focus… focus… _ Yuri reminded himself repeatedly. This program was for Victor-- and not in the sexual way as in Eros. This exhibition program was something else entirely. It was a love letter on the ice, a prayer to a god to give him as much of Victor’s time as possible. Mistakes shouldn’t get in the way of his vision. 

 

Exiting from the combination spin, Yuri’s eyes fixed upon Victor who continued to watch him from the rinkside. It was hard to tell the emotion behind those cool ice-like blue eyes as he moved across the ice in the short choreographic sequence before his flying sit spin. But all the same, his brown eyes tried to convey a sense of longing-- of quiet desperation. Could Victor see it, he wondered.

 

As Yuri rose from the spin, he realized that Victor had moved. Did he stop watching? His eyebrows furrowed as he continued following the program anyway. However, he was stopped-- taken by surprise by a hand over his own.

 

“Victor?” the younger skater turned to see his coach on the ice-- when did he have his skates on? -- holding his hand and slipping his free arm around his waist.

 

“I want to try something. Will you let me lead?”

 

Completely stunned by his coach’s actions, all Yuri could do was nod shyly with a little sound of confirmation before Victor began to skate while holding him. Was this an ice dance? A pair skate? Either way, Yuri suddenly felt deeply touched. This program was supposed to be his love letter to Victor-- so what was he doing now by holding him and turning this solo skate into a dance?

 

After a moment of clumsily moving over the ice in something like a slow waltz, Victor released Yuri’s waist and had him follow him for a moment before releasing him. 

 

“Triple Salchow, as rehearsed.”

 

The command came moments before the music signaled for it and Yuri did his best to follow through, landing it almost in sync with his coach. Almost immediately, Victor moved so he could take one of Yuri’s hands and bring him close so they could skate side by side. They weren’t going to execute the next jump. Instead, for the song’s climax, Yuri had to brace himself for whatever surprise Victor had in mind.

 

Following the guidance of his coach’s hand and his movements, he turned to face him, just in time to be pulled off the ice in a simple stationary lift then dipped for a moment while they rotated. Yuri didn’t let himself think too hard about what to do, focusing on Victor’s guidance and the flow of the music. From the way his coach stuck to simple movements, it seemed clear that he was making it up as he went. The realization made Yuri smile-- the first time he did with such warmth since he had left following his failure at the Rostelecom Cup. Upon seeing it, Victor couldn’t help but smile as well as he reached out to gently caress his partner’s cheek.

 

“Better. I’ve missed this, Yuri.”

 

As if following the ebb and flow of his own feelings, Victor moved forward to pick up Yuri impulsively for another lift-- this time keeping him raised as he moved across the ice. Yuri had to admit that it was a bit scary, moving this fast with only Victor supporting both their weights on the ice. However, it also made his heart race in a good way. Somehow, he felt as if the prayer he made from the first time he skated the program before a large audience was finally answered.

 

Later on, Victor asked him if he wanted to develop this ice dance program for the finals and take them all by surprise by skating together.

 

“If I place upon that podium, I want to do this with you.” With renewed determination shining in his eyes, Yuri made the pact with his coach and lover.

 

“I want to let everyone know that you will stay by my side and never leave.”

 

“I love it when you say things like this, Yuri,” with a warm laugh and a smile that was nothing but all love for the skater before him, he continued, “all right, it’s a deal.”

  
  


***

**Glossary**

_ Deep edge -  _ An ice skate blade consists of two edges which give a skater stability. In figure skating, skaters who can masterfully skate on a single edge-- the inside or the outside edge-- are rewarded. When a skater skates with a deep skate angle, that is called a deep edge. Skillfully skating with that deep angle is required for high-level step sequences (which Yuri excels at). Deep edges also increase speed on the ice. 

 

_ Compulsory figures -  _ An aspect of figure skating (from where the sport got its name) where skaters must carve specific patterns on to the ice. Though compulsory figures have evolved into moves in the field/skating skills in modern figure skating, where edge control rather than the ability to create patterns is emphasized, some skaters like Yuri continue to practice compulsory figures to improve basic skating techniques. 

  
_ Ice dance vs. pair skating -  _ Ice dance programs are basically ballroom dance sequences on ice. In singles and pairs skating, the emphasis is on athletic ability and the ability to execute jumps, challenging lifts, and spins. Ice dancers are scored more for their precise footwork. An easy way to tell between an ice dance and a pairs routine is to see if the lifted partner gets tossed during the program. If the partner gets tossed at some point, it’s a pairs routine. Also, in ice dance, there is little skating apart. Couples shouldn’t be separated by more than two arm lengths. Considering the theme of “Stammi Vicino, Non Te Ne Andare”, integrating ice dance elements than pairs skating makes sense, right? ;D  


End file.
